Helpful Content Update
Google has recently updated its algorithm, meaning a recent change has taken place to aid the finding of helpful content.
Helpful Content Update. If this statement causes you to wonder what it means in terms of you and your business, fear not, for we have created this short article to guide you through how these changes affect you and what you can do to utilise them and benefit your business.
Google’s latest update means more diversity will appear in the search results. It looks for content written by real people, with a targeted audience at the focal point and will provide helpful answers, not mediocre content mass-produced by AI software. By looking at the quality of content conjoined with what your site provides, it can determine value, look for commonness to other sites and reach more of the targeted audience. Use this to your advantage, get creative and clever with your content writing and ensure you answer the questions that will lead people to your site.
Bearing that in mind, think about the content you create and how that relates to your site. Are you writing content for your prospective audience? Or to appease the search engine and appear top of the page? The goal should be to please the searcher, not the search engine, by making it easier to navigate through the unhelpful search results that only appear first because of high-paying Ad-Buyers. Google now measures the quality of content across your site by looking at SEO which means, should they find the overall quality of pages on your site to be poor, it could end up ranking lower. To avoid this, emphasise a strong focus on making quality content now.
One thing to ask yourself is, does high quality mean the same for your users as it does for google? Your users are the ones who determine the quality of your content and ensure they find it to be high-quality by using the list of helpful questions we have put together to ask yourself during the process of creating content. Firstly, what interests do your readers have? What events or news do they follow, then how does that relate to your business? Finally, what problems are they attempting to solve that will lead them to your site?
Now take a look at our points for successful content creation.
Building trust.
For eCommerce sites, you want readers to know about the products and services you offer and have this be one of the first things that searchers will see when they come to your site. Having to scroll through pages and pages of content to look for an answer to their question will become off-putting and more than likely have them turning away in search of a separate provider. Show your audience that you’re trustworthy by writing clearly and concisely, using genuine photos to give your site a more personal feel, adding ratings and testimonials to correct pages and setting up HTTPS. These additions show your users that the site belongs to an actual person or business.
Search intent.
To find out what it is that your users are looking for, conduct research into keywords. With this, you will be able to determine subjects to cover, what words your audience uses to attract them to your site and how you can aid their search. Why is this important? Well, Google is looking for the number of visitors and low bounce rates to determine whether it is a good result to show.
Write for your readers, not yourself.
It is also important to note that your content should be easy to read, use headings and paragraphs, remain cautious of sentence length, and use a variation in texts to make it engaging. Have fun while writing and be personable, as this lends itself to writing quality content that stands out amongst competitors.
Stay up to date.
Another key element to quality is ensuring all content is relevant and up to date. Although this may mean you have to update previous content to allow users to find correct information, it’s important to show users that you’re on top of recent developments or changes and believe in providing accurate information. This also links with SEO ratings for proving to Google that your site is active and relevant.
Inspired by the following references,
Toonen, E. (2022). Google to launch Helpful Content Update to diversify search results. Yoast. https://yoast.com/google-helpful-content-update/
